Miami, Fla. — In the spring of 2026, the PGA Tour returns to Trump National Doral’s iconic Blue Monster course for the Cadillac Championship — a brand-new Signature Event boasting a $20 million purse, a limited field of the world’s best, and 700 FedExCup points.
For the first time in a decade, the Tour is back in Miami after a 10-year hiatus that followed the final WGC-Cadillac Championship in 2016.
The return feels like a homecoming for one of golf’s most enduring venues, a subtropical proving ground that has tested champions from Billy Casper to Tiger Woods, Greg Norman to Adam Scott.
From its launch in 1962 as a premier regular-season stop through its elevation to World Golf Championships elite status and now its rebirth as a modern Signature Series event, Doral’s PGA Tour story is one of evolution, star power, and the timeless drama of the Blue Monster.
The Early Glory Years: 1962–2006, the Doral Open Era
Raymond Floyd 1992 Doral Ryder Open Photo by Jeff McBride/PGA TOUR Archive
The tournament debuted in 1962 as the Doral C.C. Open Invitational on the freshly designed Blue Monster course at Doral, a Dick Wilson layout that quickly earned its fearsome nickname thanks to the infamous 18th hole — a long, dogleg-left par-4 with water hugging the entire left side and a treacherous bunker guarding the left.
The inaugural event carried a modest $50,000 purse. Billy Casper claimed the title with a one-stroke victory over rookie Paul Bondeson at 283 (–5), setting the tone for high-stakes drama in Miami’s unpredictable winds.
Over the next 45 seasons, the event became a fixture of the early-season Florida swing.
Sponsorships evolved with the times: it was the Doral-Eastern Open (1970–1986), Doral-Ryder Open (1987–2000), Genuity Championship (2001–2002), and finally the Ford Championship at Doral (2003–2006). Winning prize money ballooned from $9,000 to $1.62 million by the end, cementing its status as one of the Tour’s most prestigious non-majors.
Legends left their mark. Jack Nicklaus, who played in 39 of the first 40 events, won in 1972 and 1975. Raymond Floyd and Andy Bean each claimed three titles, while Greg Norman dominated the 1990s with victories in 1990 (dramatic chip-in playoff), 1993 (a record 23-under 265), and 1996. The Australian’s 1993 performance stood as the 72-hole scoring mark until Tiger Woods shattered it.
Woods capped the Doral Open era in spectacular fashion, winning back-to-back in 2005 and 2006. In 2005 he posted a jaw-dropping 24-under 264 to edge Phil Mickelson by one stroke in a marquee showdown; he successfully defended the next year at 268 (–20). Those triumphs highlighted the course’s dual personality: punishing when the wind blew, yet ripe for scoring records in calm conditions.
By 2006, the Blue Monster had hosted 45 straight PGA Tour events, producing a who’s-who of major champions including Casper, Nicklaus, Floyd, Woods, Lee Trevino, Tom Weiskopf, Ben Crenshaw, Lanny Wadkins, Tom Kite, Nick Faldo, Ernie Els, and Jim Furyk. It was more than a tournament—it was a rite of spring in South Florida.
The World Stage: 2007–2016, WGC Elite Status
In 2007, the event underwent its most significant transformation. The long-running Doral Open was replaced by the WGC-CA Championship, one of the Tour’s prestigious World Golf Championships events co-sanctioned with the European Tour. The Blue Monster remained the host, but now it welcomed the game’s absolute elite in a no-cut, limited-field format with massive global exposure and purses topping $8 million.
Tiger Woods wasted no time, winning the 2007 edition and adding another WGC title at Doral in 2013. Other highlights included Phil Mickelson’s 2009 victory, Ernie Els in 2010, Justin Rose in 2012, and Dustin Johnson (2015). The 2016 finale saw Adam Scott shoot 276 (–12) to edge Bubba Watson by one stroke, closing the chapter on 55 years of PGA Tour golf at Doral.
The WGC years brought course upgrades, including a Gil Hanse renovation around 2013–2014 that lengthened the layout while preserving the signature 18th-hole drama. Fields featured the top 50–70 players in the world rankings, turning Doral into a de facto “fifth major” for many fans. Yet after 2016, sponsor and ownership shifts sent the event to Mexico City’s Club de Golf Chapultepec, leaving a void in the Tour’s Florida schedule.
Rebirth in 2026: Signature Event Status Returns the Tour to Doral
A decade later, the circle is complete. The 2026 Cadillac Championship marks the PGA Tour’s return to Trump National Doral as the only new Signature Event added to the regular-season calendar.
Cadillac, which sponsored the WGC edition, is back as title partner — the same iconic American luxury brand that has long ferried Doral’s owner, the President of the United States, in its legendary armored “Beast” limousines.
The Blue Monster, now stretching roughly 7,700 yards, will once again host the game’s biggest names in a high-stakes, no-cut format that echoes its WGC glory while fitting the modern Tour’s elevated-event model.
The timing feels poetic. Just as the original Doral Open bridged the Nicklaus-Floyd era to the power game of Norman and Woods, and the WGC years showcased globalization, the 2026 revival arrives amid the Tour’s evolving landscape of big purses and star-driven fields.
The 18th hole that has decided so many titles — from Floyd’s walk-off chip-in playoff over Nicklaus in 1980 to countless wind-blown dramas — stands ready once more.
Doral’s PGA Tour story is ultimately about resilience and reinvention. Through name changes, sponsorship shifts, course renovations, and even a 10-year absence, the Blue Monster has endured as one of golf’s great theaters. As the 2026 Cadillac Championship tees off, fans will witness not just another elite event — but the latest chapter in a Miami legacy that began more than six decades ago when Billy Casper first conquered the monster.
The roar of the crowds may be louder now, the purses far bigger, but the challenge remains the same: tame the Blue Monster and etch your name alongside the giants of the game.
